Consider a Health Care Advance Directive

Posted on 04/23/2013

The Wichita Eagle: Thinking and talking about tragedy or illness is not easy; it takes courage. But it is critically important, and that’s why the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association and more than 100 other national groups co-sponsor National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16 of each year. By highlighting that date on the calendar, we hope to prompt families to begin the conversation about what matters when it comes to medical care.

Advance care planning does not require terribly complex legal documents or even a lawyer. It requires only that you take the initiative to speak about these issues with your loved ones. Tools like the Conversation Project’s Conversation Starter Kit ( theconversationproject.org/starter-kit/intro) can help you get started.